1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to bar code technology, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for capturing a remotely located bar code using a phone camera, security camera, web camera, etc., displaying the captured image on a video display or other media, and scanning and decoding the image of the bar code for use in a variety of applications.
2. Problems in the Art
The use of bar code technology has proliferated as a means for efficient data collection. Generally, bar code technology allows for numbers, characters, or other symbols to be coded into a series of one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) spaced bars, as those terms are commonly known in the art. Currently a bar code scanner is used to capture the bar code pattern on the object, associated software decodes the bar code pattern, and the information from the decoded bar code pattern may be used as data and acted upon accordingly.
However, there are currently no known easy means for capturing the image of a remotely located video or printed bar code using a phone camera, web camera, security camera, etc., transmitting the image of a remotely located bar code over a network, displaying the remotely located bar code on a video display or printing the remotely located bar code, and scanning and decoding the remotely located bar code directly from the video display or off a printed media.
There is therefore an unfilled need for a method and apparatus which solves this and other problems.